Shared Tape Drive Duplexing Multiple File Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current data duplexing systems that utilize tape as a backup storage device require separate tape drives for each computing system, leading to increased infrastructure and maintenance costs for small-scale businesses, and often have storage capacities that exceed the needs of these businesses.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that allows backup copies of data from multiple computing systems to be written to a single tape via a shared tape drive, utilizing a shared tape and tape drive to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate tape drives are used for each computing system, then data duplication reliability is improved, but infrastructure cost and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata duplication reliabilityVSAvoidinfrastructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple tape drives and their associated controllers into a single shared tape drive with a storage controller that manages multiple computing systems. This merging reduces the number of physical devices from N tape drives to one shared tape drive, directly addressing the contradiction by lowering infrastructure complexity while maintaining data duplication capability through the shared resource architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shared tape drive is designed to serve multiple computing systems simultaneously, making it a universal resource. The storage controller implements data duplexing functionality that allows the single tape drive to perform the data protection function previously requiring separate dedicated drives for each system, thus reducing device complexity while preserving reliability through multi-functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If separate tape drives are used for each computing system, then data access reliability is improved, but cost and maintenance requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata access reliabilityVSAvoidmaintenance cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By merging multiple separate tape drives into a single shared tape drive, the patent reduces the total number of devices requiring maintenance. Instead of maintaining N separate tape drives and controllers, the system maintains one shared tape drive and one storage controller, directly reducing maintenance costs and effort while preserving data access reliability through the shared architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Quantity of substance

If storage capacity is increased to accommodate all systems, then data storage capability is improved, but resource utilization efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidresource utilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The shared tape drive operates continuously to serve multiple computing systems, maximizing resource utilization. Instead of having idle tape drives dedicated to individual systems, the shared drive continuously processes data duplication requests from multiple sources, improving productivity and resource efficiency while maintaining adequate storage capacity through coordinated management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS11495262B1Duplexing data from multiple file systems onto a shared tape

Publication Date: 2022.11.08 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for duplexing data from multiple files systems onto a shared tape is disclosed. The computer-implemented method includes receiving a unique identifier of a first tape image written to a primary storage device of a first client system. The computer-implemented method further includes determining that a position of a first end-of-data marker on the first tape image differs from a position of a second end-of-data marker on a tape corresponding to the unique identifier of the first tape image. Responsive to determining that the position of the first end-of-data marker on the first tape image differs from the position of the second end-of-data marker on the tape corresponding to the unique identifier of the first tape image, the computer-implemented method further includes copying a difference in data between the second end-of-data marker on the tape and be first end-of-data marker on the first tape image to the tape.